Wedding Tips and Advice

Questions To Ask Your Wedding Officiant

Some couples already know a clergy member or an officiant that they have marrying them and tying the knot for good. However, a lot of people never think about this or plan for this in advance, leaving them scurrying for one weeks before the wedding. So, what does this mean for you? This means that you’re going to be in the awkward position of interviewing for potential officiants that you don’t know. This can seem like a daunting task and hard to choose the right person, but here’s some hiring tips and questions you should ask.

Ask the officiant if they’re actually qualified to perform this kind of ceremony and they can perform a marriage at the location specified.

Next, ask them about your personalized ceremony and ask them about the process they’re going to use to create it.

Ask if they have any fee (some do not), ask if there’s any inclusions with the fee and what things aren’t included. Ask about what’s exactly in the contract and what isn’t. Get all of this information up front and make sure it’s clearly laid out.

How much freedom will you guys have when you’re planning out the ceremony? Ask if they can get what they want or if they’ll have to pay extra for that kind of stuff.

Ask how they initially got into this work or what initially peaked their interest into doing such a thankless job. Ask them why they’d want to do something that so many people overlook. Ask them how long they’ve been doing this job as well and possibly how many weddings they’ve done overall.

Then, ask them how many weddings they do in a year and if they’re a full time officiant, how many they do in a day. Some officiants do this full time and charge a nice fee to go along with it.

Ask to see some kind of proof for their work. Don’t ask for a sample, that’s what cheap people ask for. Ask if they have any kind of video or portfolio documenting their work so you can take a look at their ceremonies.

Ask them if it’s okay to contact some of their previous clients. This is like an employer asking if it’s okay that they contact some of your past employers to see what they say about you and if you’re a good fit for the company.

What happens if the officiant is sick? Ask about their back up plans and how they handle plans if they’re sick or unable to attend the wedding. You don’t want someone who is sick to attend the wedding and ruin it for the guests.

The thing your officiant being interviewed will ask about is where the ceremony is taking place and will more than likely go over detailed plans about what will be done. You’ll go over some traditions such as things you like and things you dislike but it’s better to flesh that all out in an interview.